Official Preview for WWE Great American Bash
Date: July 23rd, 2006
Location: Conseco Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana
Event Music: Black Stone Cherry; Lonely Train
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Matt Hardy Vs Edge ©
“A Rivalry Renewed…”
If ever there were two men who knew each other better than Edge and Matt Hardy, they have yet to be seen. If ever there were two men who hated one another as much as Edge and Matt Hardy despise one another, they have yet to be seen. When Matt pulled off a miracle in San Antonio, Texas, ending the undefeated streaks of both Brent Albright and Mr. Kennedy to become the sole survivor of The Great American Tournament, it was as if fate herself had intervened to give us the match we had been craving ever since Edge made the jump over to Friday Night SmackDown! in February. Jealousy sent Hardy here when Edge and Lita exiled him from Monday Night RAW, but greed has brought them back together; Edge’s greed. His lust for the World Heavyweight Championship has reopened the door for his greatest foe.
Edge and Matt Hardy spent the latter half of last year locked in combat. First it was over a woman, then it was over a briefcase, but ultimately it became about nothing more than a deep, blood hatred between two men who simply do not like one another. But now it is about the richest prize in the game. Edge’s reign of terror began at WrestleMania when he dethroned The Animal, and has grown in strength each and every week following victories over The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Super Crazy, and Johnny Nitro. One man tried to stop him, and Shane McMahon currently shares a hospital room with his father after Edge’s vicious Con-chair-to at Saturday Night’s Main Event…
But if anyone had the champion’s number, it’s Matt Hardy. Just last night on SmackDown, despite another vicious assault at the hands of his newest enemy Mr. Kennedy that saw an old head wound reopened, Matt still competed in the main event tag team match, and ultimately PINNED the World Heavyweight Champion, becoming the first man to do so since WrestleMania XXII. If Hardy can keep this roll going, if he can force Mr. Kennedy to the back of his mind, if he can maintain the form that has seen him out last twelve other men, and if he can do the impossible and dethrone Edge, then he will have truly earned the right to be called … “The Great American…”
World Championship Shot versus Suspension
Batista Vs Bobby Lashley w/Paul Heyman
"What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"
When Doomsday killed Superman, the Earth had no one left to protect them. When Bane shattered Batman’s spine, Gotham was alone. And when Bobby Lashley broke The Undertaker in half on May 21st to win their brutal Last Man Standing match, we thought that there was no one left to save us.
But one man stepped up; or rather … one Animal. Batista was on the biggest slump of his career, unable to win a match since losing the World Heavyweight Title to Edge at WrestleMania XXII, but his weekly, violent confrontations with The Real Deal lit a fire inside the longest reigning World’s Heavyweight Champion in WWE history the likes of which we have never seen before. He destroyed his good friend Rey Mysterio to qualify for the Great American Tournament Finals at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Though he was unsuccessful in his bid to earn another crack at The Rated R Superstar, Batista didn’t seem too perturbed just two nights ago on Friday Night SmackDown!, as he called out the monstrous rookie and his slimy agent Paul Heyman, challenging Lashley right there and then. However, ever the business, Heyman made it abundantly clear that there was only one place this monumental collision was going to take place: Pay-Per-View.
Enter Stephanie McMahon, a woman with more than her fair share of headaches right now, and one of those is the pressure being placed on her by the Board of Directors to stop the chaos that has been rife on Friday nights since Teddy Long was incapacitated. Two of the men responsible for SmackDown’s anarchic decline have undoubtedly been Bobby Lashley and Batista, with their antics since Judgment Day costing the company thousands of dollars in damages to the various arenas the WWE runs at. As a result, Stephanie was handed an ultimatum by the Board: either she suspends ONE of Batista or Lashley … or they will suspend BOTH. So the match was made, much to the chagrin of Paul Heyman, with Lashley’s SummerSlam World’s Title shot promised to him by Shane McMahon now also on the line. As if the stakes needed to be any higher.
It is going to be a collision of truly epic proportions. The paradoxical riddle still remains … What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We will find out at The Great American Bash…
“Do Or Die” Triple Threat Match for the WWE United States Championship
Booker T w/Sharmell Vs Finlay Vs Rey Mysterio ©
If Booker or Finlay is pinned, they can never challenge for ANY WWE title again
“The Price of Gold…”
It hasn’t been an easy ride for Rey Mysterio is his first ever reign as United States Champion. He fought tooth and claw to capture the prestigious title at WrestleMania, o0vercoming the odds as only he can, but one thing he never expected were the events of July 4th †. Despite failing to defeat his friend Batista in the Great American Tournament, and also suffering a Spear at the hands of Bobby Lashley, Mysterio was alone in the ring when Friday Night SmackDown! went off the air. But the cameras kept rolling. As per usual, Rey-Rey was about to thank our loyal fans for their support … but he was interrupted … by Booker T.
The animosity between Rey Mysterio and Booker T are no secret. Booker made Rey’s life a living hell in the lead up to their match at WrestleMania XXII, a match in which The Ultimate Underdog upset the five-time WCW World’s Champion to capture the United States Title. And apparently, Booker doesn’t forget - or forgive - easily. When Booker T came down to the ring on July 4th, he didn’t bring a weapon with him to attack Rey Mysterio; he brought his wallet. Booker T had the audacity to try and BUY the United States Heavyweight Championship. If this wasn’t disgusting enough, when Rey declined the absurd offer, Booker actually SLAPPED the masked man across the face … before FINLAY hit the ring, attacking Mysterio from behind, leading to a vicious 2-on-1 beat down.
Things became clear from that point on: both Booker T and Finlay wanted the United States Title. Title petitions were submitted, and soon enough the word came that the Board of Director’s Championship Committee had granted both Booker AND Finlay’s requests, but with two little snags; the first was that their title shots would take place at the same time in the guise of a Triple Threat Match at The Great American Bash, and the second remained a mystery. In the lead up to the Pay-Per-View, Booker and Finlay have put the champion to the sword, attacking him every week seemingly, despite the help of friends such as CM Punk and Batista. But this past Friday, things took a very unexpected turn … when Finlay turned on Booker, nailing him with the shillelagh! It was obvious really; only one man can leave Indianapolis as the United States Champion, but we all assumed that such a decisive split would not occur until the match itself. But Finlay’s actions were ruthless. He laid out both of his opponents and shoved Sharmell, Booker’s wife, down to the mat like she was nothing. Momentum is well and truly on the Irishman’s side.
But then came the announcement this morning of the second little footnote attached to the title shots granted to both Booker T and Finlay, the punishment that they were due following their actions on July 4th when they brought a WWE championship into disrepute. The Board of Directors were very clear, if either Booker T or Finlay are pinned or made to submit, they can NEVER challenge for ANY championship - singles or tag team - in the WWE again. It is the exact same punishment handed out to Randy Orton by the McMahons, and The Legend Killer is still coming up with schemes to try and escape. Finlay ad Booker might have got what they wanted in terms of a shot at the United States Championship … but how much will it end up costing them? What is the price of gold?
† Though the show aired on Friday 7th, the events took place at the tapings on Tuesday 4th
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
The Hooligans Vs The Bluebloods ©
“Equally Matched Enemies…”
When Melina turned her back on Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury on May 21st at Judgement Day, thus handing the eight-man tag team match to the WWE Tag Team Champions The Bluebloods, things looked bleak for SmackDown’s tag division. That was because the stipulation of the match decreed that should William Regal and Paul Burchill emerge victorious, then the Englishmen would be allowed to choose their own challengers. Do you think they were keen to face the two teams on the other side of the ring any time soon? MNM are multiple-time WWE Tag Team Champions in their own right, whilst Paul London and Brian Kendrick, The Hooligans, are the teams everyone was tipping to be the ones to finally dethrone Nitro and Mercury at WrestleMania XXII, until The Bluebloods crashed the party.
What followed Judgement Day was nothing short of ridiculous, as Regal and Burchill faced team after team of nobodies, wrestlers clearly not of their calibre, all of whom they defeated with ridiculous ease, completely ignoring the calls for them to show some guts and put the belts on the line against a worthy team such as MNM or The Hooligans. It wasn’t until July 7th when the tag team division finally sprung back into life.
In one of their usual charades, The Bluebloods were holding a ‘Royal Invitational Gauntlet’ match, in which they were dispatching various unworthy teams from around the globe with laughable ease. That was … until two gentlemen calling themselves “El Luchadors” entered the ring. Masked, it was impossible to see who was underneath, but the gloating Englishmen found out soon enough, as the luchadors removed their masks … to reveal … PAUL LONDON AND BRIAN KENDRICK, THE HOOLIGANS! The sudden shock left The Bluebloods virtually helpless, and they were easy pickings for their surprise opponents, who pinned Burchill with the Tower of Londrick to become the first team to pin the champions since WrestleMania XXII, and, in the process, earn themselves a future title match. With The Great American Bash just around the corner, it was the obvious choice for the young high-flyers, and they didn’t wait long before announcing their decision to cash in their shot on July 23rd.
Since the announcement, Regal and Burchill simply haven’t been the same team; first getting themselves intentionally disqualified during a six-man tag team match featuring their challengers, and just two nights ago being completely embarrassed by the fan favourites during an explosive eight-man tag encounter. The Hooligans have the champions rattled and on the ropes.
But the fact remains, though these two sides have clashed before on several occasions, a decisive result has never been achieved. In the build up to WrestleMania, these same four men fought to double disqualifications, to double count outs, and to time-limit draws. Only at WrestleMania itself in the Triple Threat Elimination match were Regal and Burchill able to pin their young foes. The only thing separating them on that night - when Regal smashed London in the back of the head with one - are the combined twenty pounds of gold strapped around the waists of the Englishmen. But will that be enough at The Great American Bash…?
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Super Crazy Vs Kid Kash ©
“Out of Time…”
If ever someone was running scared, it is Kid Kash. The Cruiserweight Champion thought Jamie Noble was his biggest problem, but ever since ECW One Night Stand, the erratic Super Crazy has been a rejuvenated threat to the title; a puzzle The Notorious K.I.D just can’t seem to solve. Crazy became the Number One Contender what seems a long time ago now, defeating his fellow Mexicools, Juventud Guerrera and Psychosis, in a Three-Way Dance to earn the right to challenge for the belt. After the match, however, Kid Kash took it upon himself to congratulate the victor by smashing the championship belt into the back of his head! Big mistake.
Ever the snivelling coward, Kash regretted his actions almost immediately, and has been trying to apologize - in his own special way of course - ever since. He weaselled out of one title defence with a forged doctor’s note, instead feeding Super Crazy to the ferocious Bobby Lashley. He acquired the services of SmackDown’s resident ‘Gun For Hire’ Brent Albright to save his skin in another match. And Stephanie McMahon has had enough. To avoid any more shenanigans from the champion, the interim-General Manager scheduled the title match for The Great American Bash, giving Kash plenty of time to heal from his ‘injuries’ and, uhm, clear his diary. She also informed the Tennessee loudmouth that should he fail to turn up to the Conseco Fieldhouse on July 23rd, he would be stripped of the gold.
This hasn’t sat too well with Mr. Kash, who taken his anger out on his opponent verbally in the last few weeks, resorting to the kind of cheap racial slurs we’re used to hearing from our ‘beloved’ Mr. Layfield. But Super Crazy just keeps winning. Be it singles or tag team competition, The Insane Luchadore has been racking up the W’s like nobody’s business. And just last night on Friday Night SmackDown!, as part of the huge eight-man tag team match, Crazy actually PINNED Kash, multiplying his momentum tenfold. He’s been running ever since he won the belt back from Jamie Noble, but it seems that Kid Kash has finally run out of gas…
Streak vs. Streak †
CM Punk Vs Brent Albright w/Michelle McCool
† Albright is not technically undefeated anymore; in addition, he has promised to reveal his agent at the Pay-Per-View
“The Future’s Bright…”
The future is bright. Well, it is for Friday Night SmackDown! anyway when you have two of the top prospects the entire world of professional wrestling appearing each and every week. But their paths have been very, very different.
Brent Albright appeared the first SmackDown after WrestleMania, and has continued to do much the same thing week in and week out, destroying local wrestlers with impressive ease, as his valet Michelle McCool looks on happily. We thought The Shooter has hit a speed bump in the form of the veteran Hardcore Holly, but he was similarly dispatched at Judgment Day, forced to tap out almost instantly to the excruciating Crowbar. Albright flourished in the Great American Tournament too, making it all the way to the finals before falling victim to Matt Hardy’s incredible victory. And when Hardy caught young Brent with that surprise Roll-up in San Antonio, that was the first and only time the 27-year-old had tasted defeat since arriving in the WWE. And it didn’t taste good.
On the other side of the tracks, we have CM Punk. He arrived on the scene with a bang loud enough to wake a sleeping giant on May 26th, the show after Judgment Day, answering a wild challenge made by John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield. It being in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, Punk had all the fire he needed in one of the most impressive debuts in wrestling history, as he made the former WWE Champion TAP OUT to the Anaconda Vise. It was an incredible entrance, and you might almost forgive Punk for resting on his laurels, but since that day the Straightedge Superstar - a man who partake in neither drugs nor alcohol, using competition has his addiction - has not slowed down. The notches on his belt include ‘The Fighting Irishman’ Finlay, the five-time WCW World Champion Booker T, the current United States Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio, and, perhaps most impressively of all, the former World’s Heavyweight Champion himself, ‘The Animal’ Batista. CM Punk has beaten them all. And he’s been here less than two months.
So it was only natural that these two hungry youngsters would meet at some point, and that happened this past Friday night as part of a huge eight-man tag team match. Their reputations obviously preceded them, with both men wanting at each other in the worst way. But it was after the bell that Punk, confident as ever, made the challenge, even mocking Albright’s loss to Matt Hardy somewhat, serving only to anger the intense Oklahoman. Prior to this announcement, Albright stated that the man pulling his strings and paying his bills, his mysterious agent, would be revealing himself at the pay-per-view. Will it be a happy arrival for this anonymous money man? Whatever the case, we are sure to get a classic contest from two young, hungry wrestlers eager to make a name for themselves. The future just doesn’t get any brighter than this…
Open Challenge
Mr. Kennedy Vs Shannon Moore
“Plan B C…”
This isn’t quite what Mr. Kennedy thought he would be doing at The Great American Bash a few weeks ago. Back then, Kennedy was undefeated and riding a wave of momentum into the finals of The Great American Tournament at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The man he has spent the last few months bloodying and battering, Matt Hardy, might have been back, but Kennedy always seemed able to stay one step ahead of his vengeful foe. At Saturday Night’s Main Event itself, the loudmouth from Green Bay had everything going his way, as he and ally Brent Albright picked off the other competitors one by one. But suddenly, in a flash of brilliance, Matt Hardy pulled off the miracle and eliminated both men in the space of a few minutes, not only leaving Mr. Kennedy without a World’s Heavyweight Championship match on the pay-per-view … but granting him, Hardy, Kennedy’s bitter, hated enemy, one instead.
Not to be outdone, however, Kennedy refused to allow Matt his moment in the sun two nights ago on Friday Night SmackDown!, using Edge’s distraction as an opportunity to attack Hardy from behind the same microphone he used to open him up with for the first time back in April. Kennedy left the arena soon after, but not before announcing his intention to hold an ‘Open Challenge’ this Sunday at The Great American. As Hardy went on to pin the World Heavyweight Champion later that very night, Ken’s cryptic challenge seemed rather lacklustre, but there is always meaning behind that man’s words. He spoke of wanting someone in particular to answer his call, but early this morning on wwe.com we learned that Shannon Moore had signed on the dotted line.
Moore is a well-known friend and confidante of the Hardy family, but it’s hard to imagine that this was the person Mr. Kennedy was referring to. A stellar competitor Shannon may be, but for a man who was moments away from challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship, this is nothing short of an embarrassment. An embarrassment caused … by Matt Hardy. If Kennedy’s announcement was meant to upstage the main event in any way … it might be time for Plan C…
Tag Team Exhibition Match
MNM Vs Jamie Noble & A Mystery Partner
“The Name on the Marquee is…”
Three men desperately searching for a way back to the championships they lost recently are Johnny Nitro, Joey Mercury, and Jamie Noble. MNM’s near five month reign as WWE Tag Team Champions ended came to an abrupt halt at WrestleMania XXII when they were the first team to be eliminated from the Triple Threat Match that also featured The Hooligans and the eventual winners, The Bluebloods. Since then, things when from bad to worse, as their long-time valet Melina turned her back on them at Judgement Day, choosing glory over loyalty, as she sided with Regal and Burchill. MNM’s vengeful quest against the Englishmen was placed on the backburner momentarily, as Nitro came perilously close to the unthinkable: becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. He qualified for the Great American Tournament Finals at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and took the current champion Edge to the limit just a few weeks ago. But now MNM are back, and have promised to refocus on tag team wrestling, and, more importantly, reclaiming THEIR WWE Tag Team Title.
It is a similar story for Jamie Noble, though he was on top of the world following WrestleMania, where he defeated bitter rival Kid Kash for the Cruiserweight Championship of the World … only for the celebrations to end rather prematurely when Kash won the title back a little over a month later at Judgement Day. In actual fact, due to that match, Noble, the self-proclaimed “******* Messiah” does have a rematch clause due any time he wants it, but as of yet he has remained quiet on the matter. Noble was another man who impressed during the Great American Tournament, scoring a huge upset by defeating ‘The Fighting Irishman’ Finlay to qualify for the finals at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and he competed in an absolute classic against the World Heavyweight Champion Edge that saw 25-minutes of pure wrestling, with The Rated R Superstar forced to delve deep into his bag of nefarious tricks to pull out the win.
So with none of these men scheduled to compete this Sunday, Jamie Noble had a little challenge for his fellow competitors: a little tag team action. The only mystery about this whole situation is Noble’s partner. He has promised to bring some new blood to the Cruiserweight division, and this man will do just that apparently. Whoever it may be, this will certainly be exactly what it says on the marquee… an “Exhibition…”
Cut-Off Point for the “SmackDown! Election
All candidates for the SD! GM post must have submitted their application by the PPV
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Predictions Template
Final Card for The Great American Bash
Date: July 23rd, 2006
Location: Conseco Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana
Event Music: Black Stone Cherry; Lonely Train
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Matt Hardy Vs Edge ©
World Championship Shot versus Suspension
Batista Vs Bobby Lashley w/Paul Heyman
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“Do Or Die” Triple Threat Match for the WWE United States Championship
Booker T w/Sharmell Vs Finlay Vs Rey Mysterio ©
If Booker or Finlay is pinned, they can never challenge for ANY WWE title again
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
The Hooligans Vs The Bluebloods ©
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Super Crazy Vs Kid Kash ©
Open Challenge
Mr. Kennedy Vs Shannon Moore
Streak versus Streak
CM Punk Vs Brent Albright w/Michelle McCool
Tag Team Exhibition
MNM Vs Jamie Noble & A Mystery Partner
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Cut-Off Point for the “SmackDown! Election
All candidates for the SD! GM post must have submitted their application by the PPV
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Miscellaneous Predictions
Question One:
Predict the match order.
Question Two:
Which will be the longest and shortest matches?
Question Three:
Who will take the fall - and thus, the subsequent punishment - in the United States Championship match?
Question Four:
Who will be Jamie Noble’s partner?
Question Five:
Who is Brent Albright’s agent?
Question Six:
Will there be any surprise (the previous questions don’t count) appearances? If so, who?
Last Question:
What will JBL do on his return?
The PPV will be up next Sunday. Hopefully this section is a bit more active by then. In the mean time, though,